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City Lights, Country Life?

Its no secret I have a love of country music, I spent the late part of my teens and early 20’s in Iowa and Missouri where I lived in a small town, on a farm and went to school in the middle of a corn field. I loved my time in the US. There’s something about the peacefulness of a small town that really touches my soul. The people I encountered over the years were honest, hard working, kind hearted people who still to this day hold a special place in my heart. They’re a special kind of people. I think that’s why I love country music, the words in the songs are about the same people I went to school with, my friends and my family in the US.

The years have passed and over time I’ve lost my love of being close to the countryside. For the past few years I’ve lived in quiet towns in Europe, (with the exception of amsterdam) and whilst living there, I really missed the excitement the city has to offer, the different cultures, the diversity…the melting pot of people that you get in any city in Europe. On a more practical level, I missed the 24 hour food vendors, huge supermarkets, fashion and a trillion other things you have in the city that you don’t have in the countryside.

We’re now in a big city again and as much as I love it, I’m happy that close by there’s a huge park with lots of nature walks, trees, grass…places I can go with my daughter where she can be outside, exploring nature. She’ll probably never go cow tipping, smell a pig nursery, visit a pumpkin patch at Halloween or TP (toilet paper) a house after a football match but we’ll still enjoy our freedom in the outdoors as much as we can. Life in the midwest of the America is unique and probably a life that I will never experience again. Life in Lyon, with our park close by, will be as close to the country as I’ll get right now, and I’m happy with that. For now.

What about you? Do you live in the countryside, or the city? Do you love the outdoors or does the smell of fresh air make you run for the closest metro? If you have kids, do you want to raise them in the city or would you prefer to live somewhere with open spaces?

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6 thoughts on “City Lights, Country Life?”

The biggest city I’ve lived is Helsinki, so I don’t really know what it is living in a huge city. Never been really living on a country side either. I’m tired of Avignon, too many people, cars and tourists everywhere. No air to breath, nature and can’t even see the stars at night. I want to move more close to the nature. I would choose countryside. Animals and all!

Sini, its funny you should describe Avignon as a city with too many cars, people and tourists…it was too small for me and part of the reason I missed the city. In the winter it is so quiet with not much to do. The countryside does have lots of beauty, there is nothing quite like looking up at night into an empty sky with only the stars as light…I do miss that a lot!

I had this conversation with my mum last week! We were in Edinburgh to see a show (Idina Menzel @ Usher Hall….AWESOME!) And we were walking to the train station after the show. I love Edinburgh and had mentioned to mum that if i had not been married, I think I would have ended up living there. I would totally raise my kids in a city, no doubt, its my hubby that puts a spanner in the works! He is from small town USA and is less than comfortable being in the city. I love being in the city, for all the same reasons as you listed but also because even in the hustle bustle, if you choose, you can be anonymous. The idea of solitude and anonymity has always appealed to me for some reason. But then I go completely to another extreme, wanting to be on a hill on the middle of no where in a cosy cottage where the neighbours are miles away! It’s probably the same idea of solitude when I think about it. LOL sounds like I am anti-social!!
So in short I’m an anti-social city lover living in a small Scottish town taking trips as often as I can to get my ‘city fix!’ 🙂